Improvement in machines for sowing seed broadcast



UNITED 'STATES PATENT OFFICE.

J ACOBVBOYER 'AND D. S. GREER, OF GRANVILLE, VIRGINIA.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 18,495, dated October 27, 1857 To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that we, J Aeon BOYER and DAVID S. GREER, of Granville, in the county of Monongalia and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Sowing Seed Broadcast; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanyin g drawings, making a part of this .speciiication, in which- Figure 1 represents a perspective view taken from the rear of the machine, and showing a portion of the hopper broken away, so that the interior thereof can be seen. Fig. 2 represents a vertical cross-section through the machine.

Similar letters of reference, where they occur in the separate gures, denote like parts of the -machine in both.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use our invention, we will proceed to describe the same with reference to the drawings.

A represents an axle, upon which are hung two ordinary supporting or carrying wheels, B', but so that said axle shall revolve with one or both of the wheels, it being better, however, to have one wheel loose on the axle to facilitate the turning around of the machine. This axle A is incased on three of its sidesviz., by the hopper-bottom C above it, the permanent board D in front of it, and the receiving-board E underneath it; but in rear the axle is entirely exposed, so that the user walking behind it can see whether his machine be properly working. The hopper F is supported on this axle A by means of its two end pieces, G G, which have boxes or bearings in them for the journals on said axle to turn in. The hopper-bottom C is a sliding one, so as to regulate by it the quantity of seed that is to be let out of the hopper, or to close the hopper when the machine is being transported from eld to field, as follows: A rock-shaft, H, is supported in suitable bearings in iront of the hopper, and to this rock-shaft is connected, by rods or levers a b, the hopper-bottom G.

I is a lever fastened to the rock-shaft, by

which said shaft is turned in its bearings, the rocking or rolling of the shaft sliding the hopper-bottom one way or the other, just as it is to be more or less opened or closed.

J is a catch-bar, into which the leverI catches and is held, so that the hopper-bottom will stand or be held at the point at which it has been adjusted.

Inside of the hopper, and extending longitudinally through it, is a stirrer-bar, K, with bent wire teeth c on it. A yoke, d, connected to one end of this stirring-bar K, but outside of the hopper, is so arranged that the spokes c of the wheel at that end of the machine will strike it and force it away as they come around, and a spring, f, returns it again. Thus the stirrer is kept in motion and prevents the seed or whatever may be in the hopper from clogging in it.

The seed from the hopper drops through at the point i, Fig. 2, which is between the cen- 'ter (vertically) of the -axle A and permanent board D. The axle has a spiral ange, n, arranged around its perimeter, and the grain falling upon this axle from the hopper is carried around between the axle and the board D until it drops on the receiving-board E, and

as the axle continues to turn its Worm or spiral ange is sweeping the grain oft' at the edge ofthe board E, whence it drops to the ground and may be harrowed in in any of the usual ways. Should the machine strike any obstruction, or be moving over rough ground, it would not by thejar spill or throw out an undue quantity of grain, as it must al1 pass forward of the axle, and cannot pass out faster than the spiral on the axle moves and brings it to the edge of the board E, and as the spiral touches every portion of the edge of the board E it must deliver the seed there in uniform quantities, and thus make exceedingly regular sowing in this class of machines.

Having thus fully described the nature of our invention, We would state that we are aware that spirally grooved or Iuted cylinders have been placed under seed-hoppers to 'act as distributers. This we do not claim, as they are inefficient and the seed too readily dies off by any jar of the machine; but

What we do claim as new, Vand desire so sejar of the machine in passing over the ground,

cureby Letters Patent, is as herein set; forth and explained.

In combination with a seed-hopper, an in- JACOB BOYER. cased spirally-anged roller or axle, which rc- D. S. GREER. ceives, carries around, and delivers the grain Witnesses: in uniform quantities at the edge of the re- LEVI FORTNEY,

ceving-board Without being affected by the THOMAS F. RAMSEY. 

